Places of interest

Professor Oak's Lab

In the southeast corner of town is Professor Oak's Lab. Here, Pokémon Trainers just beginning their quest are given the choice to receive either a Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle from Professor Oak. On the occasion that Professor Oak is out of the previously listed Pokémon, he has been seen to hand out Pikachu and Eevee. This is also the location of Red's first battle, which was against his rival, Blue.

The lab is a small building near the player's house that has been slightly modified in every game. In Pokémon Red and Blue the sign says "Here is the Institute of Dr. Okido." in Japanese, and "Oak Pokémon Research Lab" in the English language versions. Inside are three of Professor Oak's aides, two men and one woman, a couple of shelves full of books, a table with three Poké Balls, a computer, two blank Pokédexes, and two tips for the player. In Pokémon Yellow the lab is the same as Red and Blue, except there is only one Poké Ball on the table, and next to the table stands a trash can. In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, other than the significant graphical enhancements, the laboratory also has two plants in the entrance, a mysterious machine, books on the floor, two regular machines in the corner, and a window.

Player's house

Generations I and III

In GenerationsI and III, this house is where the player lives before beginning their journey. The player's Mom lives here, and after the player has left town for the first time, going home and talking to her will fully rest/restore all of the player's Pokémon, just like a Pokémon Center. In Generation I, the player's bedroom has a PC, a bed, and a TV with an SNES hooked up to it. It serves no other purpose, although the PC can be used to access the player's item storage. In Generation III, the player house features an enhanced version of the bedroom from Generation I. The only difference is the SNES being replaced with an NES.

Before going down the stairs, there is a sign on the wall that reminds the player how to open the Bag. In Generation I, a movie is shown on the player's television involving four boys walking on railroad tracks, possibly a reference to the film Stand by Me; however, during Generation III, this will only appear if the player is a male. If the player is a female, the television will display a girl in pigtails walking down a yellow brick road, possibly a reference to the film The Wizard of Oz.

Generations II and IV

In GenerationsII and IV, Red's mother is alone in the house, telling the player how worried she is about Red, but also how proud she is of him. In HeartGold and SoulSilver, the graphical features have also been updated to the Generation IV standard since Gold, Silver, and Crystal. On the ground floor, there is a table with a large mug of tea sitting on it, a bigger TV, bookshelves, and a kitchen area located on the north-western side of the room containing a refrigerator and a sink. On the upstairs floor is Red's bedroom, which contains a study desk with a laptop computer sitting on it, a Nintendo 64 or Wii, depending on the Generation, three bookshelves, and a single bed in the south-western corner. Examining the laptop shows that the items in the room are collecting dust, as if they haven't been used in a long time.

Rival's house

In Generations I and III, after the Pokédex has been given to the player by Professor Oak, the rival's sister will give the player a Town Map. In GenerationsII and IV, the sister of the rival will help the player comb his/her Pokémon, causing its friendship to be raised. In Generation III Daisy will check the lead Pokémon's friendship and offer to groom a Pokémon in the player's party. She can only groom one Pokémon for every 512 steps the player takes. In Generation IV, she'll give the player Blue's Pokégear phone number so the player can call and arrange a rematch with him at the Fighting Dojo. Also returning from previous generations, Daisy will groom one of the player's Pokémon for free once daily between 3:00 and 4:00 PM. As in Generation II, it will raise a Pokémon's friendship greatly; however, it will also raise the Pokémon's Beauty stat. This is not displayed anywhere in-game, and the Pokémon must be seen from the point of view of Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum to notice. Despite this, Feebas whose Beauty is maxed out this way can evolve into Milotic, unlike in FireRed and LeafGreen, where the Beauty stat did not exist in any shape or form. As a reference to Daisy's enjoyment of tea in Generation III, a large mug of tea sits on her table. In the first three generations, the rival's house has always been one story, but in Generation IV, the rival's house has a second story that mirrors the player's house, much like their Hoenn and Sinnoh counterparts.

Demographics

Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow

Pallet Town's population is 8 (not including the player and the rival, who leave Pallet Town at the beginning of the game). This low number is likely due to its lack of amenities like a Gym or Pokémon Center and its isolation from the center of Kanto. This makes it the smallest town in both Kanto and the Pokémon world.

Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal

Pallet Town's population remains 8, making it the smallest town in both Kanto and the Pokémon world.

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen

As in the original games, Pallet Town's population is 8 (not including the player and the rival, who leave Pallet Town at the beginning of the game). This makes it the smallest town in both Kanto and the Pokémon world.

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver

As in the original games, Pallet Town's population remains 8, making the smallest town in both Kanto and the Pokémon world.

Differences among generations

Generation I and III

Pallet Town is very consistent in the way of layout. The square-shaped town with three buildings remains the same between Generation I and III, only enhancing aesthetic features. Trees have become bigger, flowers are more visible, and most other sprites have been upgraded to Generation III standards. Most of the town's residents remain the same and will tell Trainers the same messages. However, there is a woman in front of the signpost on the southwestern field that will move out of a Trainer's way when interacted with. In the Generation I to III transition, the garden in front of Professor Oak's Lab is removed, while other houses in Pallet have mailboxes instead of signs.

Professor Oak's Lab has gone through some slight remodeling. In Generation I, inside are three of Professor Oak's aides, two men and one woman, a couple of shelves full of books, a table with three Poké Balls, a computer, two blank Pokédexes, and two tips for the player, while in Generation III, other than the significant graphical enhancements, the laboratory also has two plants in the entrance, a mysterious machine, books on the floor, two regular machines in the corner, and a window. Changes in Red and Blue's house also sufficed. In Generation III, the player's bedroom features an enhanced version of the bedroom from Generation I with the SNES being replaced with an NES.

Generation II

During Generation II, Pallet Town had little change done to the layout. Despite the graphical updates, the town remained totally unchanged save for the movement of the tall grass in the north. Daisy, the sister of the rival, who is living in the rival's house, will comb the player's Pokémon, causing its friendship to be raised. Daisy will groom one of the player's Pokémon for free once daily between 3:00 and 4:00 PM. Red's mom also appears in Generation II, telling the player how worried she is about Red, but also how proud she is of him.

Generation IV

During Generation IV, Pallet Town also had surprisingly little change down to the layout. Despite the graphical updates, the town remained totally unchanged. As in Generation II, Daisy, Blue's sister, will groom the player's Pokémon between 3 and 4 PM, and will give away his Pokégear number if she is shown a Pokémon that is already very friendly and has a high Beauty condition.

Professor Oak's Laboratory stands out in Pallet Town for its wind turbine, the three windows of the inner balcony, and for the four windows of the second floor. Every time Ash catches a Pokémon when he has six already with him, the new Pokémon is automatically transported here. Ash also has a habit of leaving all of his Pokémon besides Pikachu here each time he leaves for a new region, starting with Hoenn. The lab is composed of two floors. Inside the entrance door is a hallway with several doors, and to the left is a chest of drawers and the stairway to the second floor. The Oak Corral is a natural environment for Pokémon development. It is divided into regions according to type; there are areas that are perfect for Rock-type Pokémon, desert areas for Ground and Fire types, grassy regions, and several lakes. Sometimes the Pokémon don't get along; for this reason, some Pokémon, such as Ash's Bulbasaur, act as mediators between quarreling Pokémon.

The Xanadu Nursery is another location close to Pallet Town. The nursery is a large greenhouse that is home to various flowers and plants. Among them is a flower that contains Stun Spore. Two of the nursery's employees are Florinda Showers and Potter. Along with Florinda's Gloom, they help to make sure the operations at Xanadu run smoothly. While training for the Pokémon League in Make Room for Gloom, Ash's mom requested that her son help her run some errands and visit the nursery. Ash and his friends took off, not wanting to help with Delia's plans. Eventually, they ended up at the very place she requested them to be at.

Ash has left for another region on an airplane in both In The Shadow of Zekrom! and The Dream Continues! shortly after visiting Pallet Town; however, whether an airport is actually located in the town itself or not is unknown.

Gallery

Ash's house

Professor Oak's Laboratory

In Pokémon Origins

Pallet Town in Pokémon Origins

Pallet Town made a couple of appearances in Pokémon Origins, being the hometown of Red and Blue. It first appeared in File 1: Red, where both Red and Blue were seen receiving a Pokédex each from Professor Oak, after which they got to choose their starter Pokémon. Red chose Charmander, while Blue chose Squirtle to counter Red's choice. Afterwards, both Red and Blue departed Pallet Town and started gathering information on their Pokédexes.

Pallet Town's next major appearance was in File 4: Charizard, where Red returned to Professor Oak's Laboratory to tell him how he had completed his Pokédex, only to find out that Blue had been injured during a battle against an unknown Pokémon at Cerulean Cave, during which his own Pokédex had also gotten destroyed. Red soon understood that the mysterious Pokémon was in fact Mewtwo, a genetically enhanced version of a rare Pokémon called Mew. In order to add Mewtwo's data to the Pokédex, Red headed to Cerulean Cave, where he battled and, with extreme effort, successfully caught Mewtwo. During a small party held by Professor Oak to celebrate the completion of the Pokédex, Red realized that since Mewtwo was created from Mew, he still had to go find and catch Mew in order to make the Pokédex truly complete.

In the Yellow chapter, Red saved a postman from his rampaging Ponyta. The postman had arrived at Pallet Town to deliver a letter to Red. Once it was clear that Red had disappeared after accepting the challenge written in the letter, Yellow came to Pallet Town and assumed guardianship of the Pikachu that ran back to Professor Oak's lab. Green had also found a new house in Pallet Town, and used it to monitor Yellow's progress.

Gallery

In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga

Pallet Town is the hometown of Red and his rival, Green. Professor Oak also resides in Pallet Town, offering the two boys their choice of starter Pokémon, though Red chooses a Clefairy that he met on the way to the laboratory instead.

Gallery

Trivia

In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Red's bedroom features an area rug around his bed that is red in color. Blue's bedroom features a similar area rug, which is instead green in color. This is a reference to Blue's Japanese name, Green.